When a dog locates drugs, it will signal the find with a passive alert – an unassisted sit position. When training drug dogs we never allow them physical contact with the drugs; the dogs are trained only to detect the scent of the drugs. We build each dog’s confidence with positive reward-based training. This ensures our drug dogs are always confident and eager in unfamiliar surroundings.

To hone the detection skills of both the dog and the drug dog handler, training is provided for searches in many realistic environments, including:

Buildings—A drug detection dog learns to perform drug searches in structures varying in size and complexity while working through a number of distractions.Vehicles—The dogs are taught to search through a variety of vehicle types from small cars to large trucks to simulate realistic traffic stops and vehicular drug searches.Luggage—Drug dogs receive realistic airport training to effectively search crowded areas, conveyor belts luggage and lockers to detect hidden drugs. Cargo—Drug dogs learn to search palletized and stacked cargo in various arrangements.